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Lie Angles, by Bill Bush
Over the years I have come
to learn from my studies at Golfsmith that there are as many as 20 different specifications that make up the golf club which
can lead to long and involved fitting sessions. My studies have been focused
on how to get the most out of the golfer’s physical abilities. When a golfer
needs help in improving their game, I look to which one of the 20 golf club specifications can help make those desired changes
come about.
Each of the twenty golf club
specifications have a Major, a Medium,
or a Minor effect on changing the golfer’s Distance, Accuracy,
Trajectory, Backspin, and Feel with their clubs.¹
That being said, I would
like to speak to the effect of Lie Angle of the golf club in this article.
Definition: The angle in degrees between the center line of the hosel and the sole of the clubhead, when the sole is
touching the ground at the center of the face scoring area.¹
Lie angle has a Major factor of Accuracy in the short irons, a Medium factor
of Accuracy in the middle irons, and a Minor factor of Accuracy
in the long irons and woods.¹ Simply put, the greater the loft, the more the
face will point to the right or left of the target.
There are three terms used
when it comes to lie angle; upright, standard, and flat. When looking at a soled
golf club, with an upright lie angle, the toe will be up in the air and the heel will be touching the ground. Standard is the correct lie angle for the player using his club.
In a flat lie angle, the opposite is true where the toe of the club will be pointed down, touching the ground and the
heel of the club will be slightly elevated.
GOLFONLINE - Club
specs Total Fitting
Let’s take an example
of an improper lie angle of a 48º 9 iron that is 4º too upright for the player. The
toe is off the ground 4º and will cause the ball to leave the clubface in a 3º pull because the face plane is tilted by 3º
in that direction (note red arrow pointed left of target in too upright image in above photo).
In a 115 yard shot, the pull and the slight hooking effect from sidespin would result in the ball missing 22 feet left
of the intended target.²
Coach’s Tip: Have your lie angle checked by your local accredited Clubmaker. This
will give you a better chance of lowering your score, with shorter putts, as the result of more accurate short iron play from
clubs fit to your personal specifications.
References:
¹ Golfsmith International, (1999). The Golfsmith Practical Fitting Program.
² Maltby, Ralph (2001). The Complete Golf Club Fitting Plan, 2nd
edition.
http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/equipment/newnow/article/0,17742,470565,00.html
Hybrid Golf Clubs, by Bill Bush
You're on
the right track if you are looking for a club for more control. A 25º hybrid is about one of the easiest clubs to hit
straight and still get some good distance. The 22º / 26º are good replacements for the 4 / 5 irons which most average
golfers struggle to hit correctly 5 out of 10 times. There is an old saying that if you can't hit a club where you're
looking 10 out 10 times, it shouldn't be in your bag if you want to score lower.
Speaking
to length, they need to be similar in length to the club they are replacing. It all deals with the weight of the head.
The 25º hybrid weighs 252 grams. The typical 5 iron weighs 254 grams and has 24º of loft. The 5 iron length
is 38". In short there are 7 Grams and 3 - 4 º of loft between clubs to maintain the average distance gapping of 8 -
10 yards between each club.
Some Hybrids
are built with a .370 hosel diameter, the basic iron shaft tip thickness. Most hybrids, but not all, are designed with
a .335 hosel that accommodates a typical wood shaft. This helps the ball to get up in the air easier compared to the
iron shaft.
Now that
you have a sense of how I build replacement hybrids, contact us for a custom fitting and lets get you scoring lower.
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